ArtVerona 2016: Wunderkammern and the Evolution of Collecting

The 2016 edition of ArtVerona centered on collecting, featuring the exhibition 'Il flauto magico. 16 collezionisti per un’istituzione' curated by Andrea Bruciati at Museo di Castelvecchio, and talks moderated by Adriana Polveroni with Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Diego Bergamaschi, Giorgio Fasol, and others. A virtual platform called Wunderkammern was launched to continue the dialogue, hosting projects like Collectors Studio and Critical Collecting, curated by Antonio Grulli. A survey by Collezione da Tiffany (directed by Nicola Maggi) of 200 Italian collectors revealed: 61% buy for passion, 6% for investment; 77% live in northern Italy; 87% are male; 63% hold a degree; 71% purchase 5 works per year, 25% between 6 and 10; painting is preferred (32%). Foreign-oriented buying is decreasing, with web and social media influencing purchases. Grulli notes the exponential growth and professionalization of the art system, with collectors becoming more active, akin to artists and curators. Collectors Studio, an Instagram page curated weekly by different figures (collectors, artists, critics), aims to study the evolving role of collectors. Critical Collecting paired 10 young critics with 10 collectors (mostly young) to write about collections as complex narratives. Grulli argues that fairs should center on collectors and gallerists, not mimic biennials.